A Blue Plaque commemorates the fact that Sir Marc Isambard (1769-1849) and his son Isambard Kingdom (1806-59) lived here, at Lindsey House, 98 Cheyne walk, Chelsea, from 1808-1824, except when Sir Marc was in debtors prison between 1821 and 1824.

Sir Marc, a French royalist, went to the US in 1789 to escape the French revolution and there, amongst other activities, was the New York city engineer. He arrived in England in 1799 worked for the Admiralty. His plans for the machine production of the blocks through which ropes are rove on sailing ships saved the Admiralty £24,000 in the first year of its use. He patented a tunnelling machine in 1818 and was responsible for the construction with it of the first tunnel under the Thames from Rotherhithe to Wapping.

Isambard's career encompassed major achievements in ship building, railway construction and dock works. His ships included: The Great Western (launched 1838) which was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic as a regular service; The Great Britain (launched 1845) which was the first ocean going screw-driven ship; and The Great Eastern (launched 1858) which at 693 ft in length was the largest ship to be built before 1899 and was constructed on the Thames, at Millwall. His railway construction was as the chief engineer of the Great Western Railway Company from 1833. In this position he was responsible for tunnels bridges and viaducts on lines from London to Wales and Cornwall including, most famously, the Clifton suspension bridge over the Avon and the Saltash bridge across the Tamar. The dock works were those of Bristol, Monkwearmouth, Cardiff and Milford Haven.

O/S Co-ords:2690.7751
Source(s):

Chambers Biographical Dictionary

The Blue Plaque Guide to London Homes